Confessions have always been my favorite. (And I'm not even Catholic.) Something about that little secret I don't really want anybody to know, and yet I can't help but blurt out loud to the Internets. It's gnawing at my gut. I know I will feel better if I just let it go.

So here it is: I miss Texas.

Man, that feels good. Rid the toxic shit. Again: I miss Texas.

Let the healing begin.

It's been building in me for some time, this strange confession. Strange, because I really can't imagine moving back to The Lone Star State. There are aspects of it that I know would make me entirely miserable. The weather, for one, being top on the list. I have a poweful dislike for the heat. Summer in DC is bad enough. Now add three months on to that, and you have most places in Texas. No thanks.

Second on the list of bad things about Texas is the deep conservative culture and mentality that persists in towns and cities across the state, the kind of thing that just beats you down gradually, day after day, making people like me feel different, like an 'outsider.' Even weird and liberal Austin, "Live Music Capital" of the US, has it. Sure, it's a liberal oasis in a vast conservative desert, but it's still part of the same political eco-system.

Third on my list of dislikes would have to be the pick-ups and SUVs that rule the roads down there. I'm all for having a pickup when you live on a ranch. But why Dallas urbanites need to drive oversized four-wheel-drive vehicles to the corner Starbucks will always be something that mystifies and galls me.

So why do I miss it? I guess for me, Texas is something that winds up being better - and more romantic - in my mind than it is in reality. But there are real things to miss about Texas. Here's a quick list:

The Music

I've always loved certain flavors of country music. Not the over-produced modern country you hear today. I mean the stuff from the 70's and 80's. When I was a kid, I remember being a huge fan of stuff from Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Shelly West ('Jose Quervo'), and The Oak Ridge Boys just to name a few. Classics. And now it's turned me on to bands like: Wilco, Old 97s, Neko Case, Jenny Lewis. Getting drunk. Driving alone on long highways. Break-ups. Trains. Prison. Did I mention 'getting drunk?' - These are the themes of the country song. It's blues, but with a twang. So delicious. And it's the delivery that matters. The heartache, the grit: it comes from the voice.

The Road Trips

I was reading Prentice Riddle's post about a trip he took to west Texas and how he stopped in this small town called Marfa. I always loved taking road trips in Texas and stumbling across these little towns. They're part creepy, part cool. Makes me nostalgic.

Beer, Margaritas, and Patios

Sipping drinks on patios isn't purely a Texas thing. People do it everywhere, including right here in DC. But there's something different about it in Texas. I mean, aside from the crushing heat. Try it. You'll see.

Family and Friends

This one's a big one and probably doesn't need an explanation.

So there it is. A brief confession. And now I can get on with my day. Thanks for listening. . .

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